Who is in your team of the week?
Friday, October 2, 2009
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Talking point: Stevan Jovetić, Cristiano Ronaldo andHannu Tihinen have all been voted by uefa.com users into their Player Rater Team of the Week for Matchday 2 – what do you think of the selection?
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Olympique Lyonnais defender Aly Cissokho is the only player to have been voted back into the Player Rater Team of the Week for Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League, one of three players from the French side. There is also a place for Hannu Tihinen who scored FC Zürich's shock winner at AC Milan and Stevan Jovetić, ACF Fiorentina's two-goal hero against Liverpool FC. Player Rater, as presented by Heineken, gives uefa.com users the chance to vote on the best players in each UEFA Champions League match this season. To view the Player Rater section click here.
Player Rater Team of the Week
UEFA Champions League Matchday 2
Goalkeeper
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF)
On a great week for goalkeepers, during which Antonis Nikopolidis and Johnny Leoni also caught the eye for Olympiacos FC and FC Zürich respectively, Casillas won the uefa.com users' vote with another assured performance for Madrid. He made a key save when Mamadou Niang burst clear of the defence as the home side struggled to get on top in the first half.
Right-back
Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona)
Alves showed his usual mix of solid defending with pace up and down the touchline in the holders' 2-0 win against FC Dynamo Kyiv and also made a scrambled goalline clearance from Artem Milevskiy's cross-shot in the first half. Despite his best efforts with four attempts at the target, the Brazilian international could not cap a fine display with a goal.
Left-back
Aly Cissokho (Olympique Lyonnais)
The 22-year-old is the uefa.com readers' pick at left-back for the second game in a row. He is the only player to have been voted into the Player Rater Team of the Week for both rounds of the UEFA Champions League so far this season following another dominant display on the flank in a 4-0 win at Debreceni VSC.
Central defenders
Hannu Tihinen (FC Zürich)
The 33-year-old Finnish international scored perhaps the goal of the round with a brilliant back-flick from a corner against AC Milan and then played a pivotal role at the back as the Swiss titleholders pulled off a shock victory against the seven-time champions.
John Terry (Chelsea FC)
Chelsea may not have delivered a performance to bring a smile to the face of manager Carlo Ancelotti, but another commanding outing from their captain at least helped ensure Nicolas Anelka's goal was enough for victory. "It was important we realised we went wrong at Wigan [in Saturday's 3-1 defeat] and we responded well," Terry said.
Midfielders
Miralem Pjanić (Olympique Lyonnais)
Like Juninho Pernambucano before him, much of Lyon's best attacking play flows through the 19-year-old who is also a real danger at set-pieces. His corners produced goals for Kim Källström and Sydney Govou against Debrecen and he scored himself with a curled free-kick reminiscent of the Brazilian he replaced in the No8 shirt.
Kim Källström (Olympique Lyonnais)
Having played a key role in Sweden's 2-1 win over Hungary at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium last month, Källström was at it again on his return for Lyon, opening the scoring with a precise half-volley in the third minute against Debrecen then setting up Bafétimbi Gomis for Lyon's fourth. "Our goal is to win the group and we'll do everything to do that," he said.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC)
Having scored 18 times in 66 UEFA Champions League appearances for Chelsea before this week, Lampard is used to playing a leading role, but this was more about getting the basics right on a night the 2008 finalists had to dig deep for victory. "You never have a season where you are flying every game," he said.
Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München)
The French international was outstanding in the first half in the goalless draw against Juventus, returning to top form for the first time this season. One dazzling run left two Juve defenders in his wake before chipping Gianluigi Buffon, only for the ball to clear the crossbar much to his frustration. "When you have a Franck Ribéry in your side, you really enjoy matches," team-mate Daniel Van Buyten said.
Forwards
Stevan Jovetić (ACF Fiorentina)
"It's a wonderful night," the 19-year-old said after scoring twice in the Viola's 2-0 win over Liverpool FC, sentiments not shared by a Reds defence that was turned inside out by the Montenegrin international. With Alberto Gilardino suspended much depended on Jovetić and he rose to the challenge, beating the offside trap and Pepe Reina on 28 minutes before turning in Juan Vargas's driven cross nine minutes later.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF)
The €94m man has got off to brilliant start at the Santiago Bernabéu and took his tally to nine goals in seven games with two more in victory against Marseille. After a sluggish first half from the home side, Ronaldo made the difference, racing on to Pepe's long ball before shooting past Steve Mandanda then smashing in his second, and a competition-leading fourth goal, six minutes later.
What do think of the uefa.com users' selection? Have your say below.